A WOMAN was fighting for her life in hospital today after being struck by a police car on Teesside.

The 29-year-old pedestrian is critically ill after being hit by the vehicle on the A174 at Redcar last night.

Police say the woman is from the South Coast area but was visiting family on Teesside.

She was hit by a police vehicle which was on routine patrol and suffered serious head, spinal and pelvic injuries.

A police spokeswoman said the woman was taken to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where she was today in a “critical but stable” condition.

The incident happened shortly after 10.30pm on the eastbound carriageway of the A174, between the roundabout at the bottom of Yearby Bank and the roundabout at the junction with Grewgrass Lane.

Steve Small, 20, from Eston, was at a friend’s house in Larkswood Road when he heard the police helicopter.

He said: “The helicopter was shining its light into the gardens. I thought it was going to crash it was coming so low behind the trees, so I ran over to see what was happening. It had landed on the road and they blocked the road off at both ends.

“One of the bobbies walked up. I asked ‘Is anyone hurt?’ He said there had been a crash.

“I said ‘Is he all right?’ and he said ‘No she is not’, so it was obviously a woman.

“They had a stretcher out on the grass in the middle of the road and there was someone laid on it and they were crouched around her.”

At the scene earlier today orange markings could be seen on the carriageway.

It is thought the woman was hit near a bus stop next to a pedestrian path in the bushes which leads to Plantation Road. The stretch of dual carriageway, known as the Kirkleatham Bypass, is heavily screened by trees and bushes.

The police spokeswoman said the investigation is being overseen by officers from the force’s professional standards unit. She said: “As is routine in such incidents the matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

A spokesman for the IPCC said today: “Our investigators are travelling to Cleveland to carry out an assessment.”

A stretch of the A174, both eastbound and westbound, was closed for around three hours from the Fishponds roundabout to the roundabout at Grewgrass Lane.

Cleveland Police are trying to trace any witnesses.

They want to speak to anyone driving eastbound or westbound on the A174 at around 10.30pm who may have seen two female pedestrians close to the carriageway. Contact police on 01642 326326, quoting event number T126134.